Tempo run

It figures that after doing the last several runs outside in darkness, sub-freezing temps, and snow/ice, my treadmill day would turn out to be sunny and 45 degrees. D’oh!

Oh, well. I was still smarting a bit after hitting the deck on the ice yesterday and my legs were really craving some tempo after having done mainly long slow distance runs this week. I wanted to just put it on auto-pilot for a while. I built up my pace over the first 3 miles and then did 4 miles at a steady tempo (8:20), then I stepped it down over the next 3 for a total of 10 - giving me 52 for the week. The ITB issues that I’ve had over the past 3 months are steadily disappearing into the rear-view mirror. Nice!

Let sleeping dogs lie

The older kids were playing outside in the snow when Malcolm decided to dig a hole and wait in it to ambush the girls with a snowball when they came around the corner of the house.

Apparently they took too long, because Malcolm fell asleep! The girls tiptoed past him and left him there - asleep with snowball in hand.

Rolled out of bed @ 5:59 on a Saturday…

More simulated ultra training today. Started before dawn in 9 degrees with a light snow falling. I knew this would be a rugged one so I had my pack with plenty of water and bars/gels, etc. I ended up doing 13.5 miles in 3:07 including stops, etc. Conditions were tricky.

Map

I ran to a state park a few miles away and did a loop through the woods and rock formations. I was running on top of 2-3 feet of snow for a few miles. It was nice where it was a frozen surface, but there were extended sections where I would punch right through and would have to slog along. It was beautiful, though. Here are some pics taken by someone else:

Roxborough State Park

It was nothin’ but white today…

I ran on frozen mud, choppy/frozen snow, deep wet snow, fluffy snow, and hard water ice. The past couple of days have been over 32 degrees in the daytime, so everywhere that melted turned to solid ice overnight. Combined with a dusting of new snow, things were pretty sketchy at times. I biffed pretty good going around a corner and had numerous other close calls. Finished up feeling good. Can’t wait to go again!

Another night run

Did 14 after work tonight. Very hilly. The concrete path was feeling pretty firm by mile 12 or so.

It was awesome to start the run headed west into the sunset knowing that I would still be running well after it got dark. I took my hydration pack, xtra gear, headlamp, food, etc. and treated it as a simulated ultra pace run. I dialed in the cruise-control to a HR of 140 and chugged along. I think I went a little too slow at first, I really hit rock bottom at mile 6 and felt lousy. Picked up the pace by about a minute and felt much better in another mile or so. Ended up at a 10.5 pace overall. Avg HR 142. Right where I wanted to be.

Two Speeding Tickets in Two Days

Funny thing is, I wasn’t in a hurry for either of them. They just put up some new 25 mph signs near my neighborhood (but not in a residential area), and are cracking down on people left and right.The first one I got on the way to work I was doing 40. The deputy was really cool and said they weren’t out there to bust anyone bad, but just to get their attention. He wrote me up for 9 over - one point on the record and it doesn’t affect insurance rates. 40 bucks.

The second one was coming home from my 12 mile run in the sub-freezing darkness. My brain was numb. This time it was on our side of the river which is a different county. This deputy was not in a good mood. He clocked me at 35 in a 25 and wrote me up for the full amount. 72 bucks and 4 points on the license. Great.

Guess I can’t complain since it’s been about 15 years since I last got a ticket. Just need to slow down on that stretch of road - hard to do because it drives like a 35/40 road, and I’ve driven it that way over 4500 times in the last 9 years. Hard to teach this old dog…

Double-Digit Run

I’m not going to be able to run for the next few days, so I decided to tackle a hilly 12 miler before my break.map of route

I started at 6:30 pm with my headlamp and a lot of warm gear on. The temperature was 8 degrees! Thankfully, there wasn’t any wind which made a huge difference. I dressed perfectly and was pretty comfortable for the whole time.

I took it really easy for the first several miles. Had some knee pain at mile four, but worked through it. Once I knew I had it in the bag, I lit it up and ran at a 7′ish pace for the last couple of miles. Finish time was 1:56. The condensation around my face combined with the cold air caused it to go numb as if I had been to the dentist. Luckily that subsided once I got in the car.

There was enough ambient light from a nearby road that I was able to run 80% of the way with my headlamp turned off. That was nice, because with my senses a little bit suppressed, I was able to concentrate a lot better on my breathing and stride. I tried really hard to stay smooth.

My previous long run was 8.5 miles back in October - before the knee troubles set in. It’s been a long road back, but I feel like I’m finally getting there. I’ll be really curious to see how the legs feel in the next day or two, kinda felt like the Tin Man getting out of the car…

HAPPY 2007!!!

Long time no post… I’m getting a fresh start for 2007.

We ZOOMED into the new year today. Went sledding at the park and enjoyed all of the snow we’ve gotten over the last couple of weeks. Natalie turned into a radical big-air monster and put us all to shame with her jumps.

I finished up the year with 5600 miles of riding, and 148 miles of running. I really liked the running I did, and want to do it a lot more. I ran three miles today, first run in almost two months because I’ve been struggling with a knee injury (ITBS). It seems to be under control now thanks to some PT and a really good massage therapist. It felt sooo good to get out and run again.

They cleared the paths around our neighborhood with some bobcat’s (small front-end loader), so the running was actually decent - though it was strange having snow piled up shoulder high on both sides… So I guess a new year means setting some goals. Eating-wise (big slacker last year), I’ve been doing great the past couple of weeks and actually lost 5 pounds over the holidays. Whew.

I think I will make running my main focus of 2007 as far as physical activity goes. Cycling has been great and I love it, but I felt like I pretty much coasted through last year - which still got me some decent results, but it’s just not the same anymore. I can’t keep fighting to stay on the razor’s edge of super-fitness like is necessary to be competing for a top finish around here. So, I will still race this year, it just won’t be the end-all for me. I think running will be better in terms of flexibility time-wise with lots of stuff going on in the family and with the kids. Plus, I feel ready for a new challenge, something that will push me like nothing else has. Another factor is that after trying to run, I could NOT believe how badly it crippled me. Doing 5000-6000 miles a year on the bike for the past 3 years did wonders for my cardio fitness, but left me pretty soft when it came to doing anything weight bearing. Gotta toughen up, boy!

It’s been a long time since I’ve feared not being able to finish a race, but now with the ideas of running an ultra-marathon that I have going around in my head, that’s exactly how I feel. I’m specifically targeting a 100k (62 mile!!) mountain race in August. It’s a monster, right in my old backyard (Utah). Tons of mountains, dirt, rocks, heat, etc.

Considering the fact that I started at 3 miles today, I have a loooong way to go. Should be fun!